Share This Story!

Man who claimed insanity gets life with no chance of parole in Milwaukee triple homicide

A man with a history of mental illness was sentenced Friday to life in prison without the possibility for parole for fatally shooting three neighbors in an apartment building on Milwaukee's southwest side.

Post to Facebook

CancelSend

Sent!

A link has been sent to your friend's email address.

Posted!

A link has been posted to your Facebook feed.

Man who claimed insanity gets life with no chance of parole in Milwaukee triple homicide

A man with a history of mental illness, who once had two firearms confiscated while he was placed in emergency detention, was sentenced Friday to life in prison without the possibility for parole for fatally shooting three neighbors in an apartment building on Milwaukee's southwest side.

Dan J. Popp, 41, was found guilty of first-degree intentional homicide in the deaths of Phia Vue, 36, his wife, Mai K. Vue, 32, and Jesus Ramon Manso-Perez, 40, inside their four-unit building near S. 92nd St. and W. Beloit Road.

Jesus Manso-Perez(Photo: Provided photo)

Popp, whose insanity defense was rejected by a jury, was also found guilty of attempted first-degree intentional homicide for shooting at Manso-Perez's son during the deadly rampage March 6, 2016.

Before imposing the sentence, Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Jeffery A. Conen said he was troubled that a jury decided someone with a history of significant mental illness had the ability to conform his actions to the law.

Especially troubling, Conen said, is that such a person could "obtain, keep and use a gun to kill three people and attempt to kill another."

"I would be remiss if I did not at least mention that there is a significant problem in our country that guns are available to almost anyone," Conen said.

According to a criminal complaint, Popp shot Manso-Perez in a stairwell shortly after asking him and his son where they were from, and learning they were from Puerto Rico.

Zoby Manso said Popp took away the only hero her family knew, stole her brother's innocence and took away her nieces' and nephews' grandfather.

"Despite all of this my family is still standing," she said.

"I will be praying for you and your family. God bless you."

Alexander Vue spoke of how he misses playing video games with his father. His sister Isabel Vue lamented how she'll never again be able to cook with her mother.

They spoke of the loving, nurturing way they were raised in a home filled with laughter and joy, a home that was shattered, they said, by gunfire, and the graphic images of their parents' deaths ingrained in their minds forever.

"How can anyone consider home a safe place anymore when our parents were murdered in it?" Isabel Vue asked.

"Who is going to show us the world the way they did?"

Demons and witchcraft

In February 2008, Greenfield police confiscated two firearms from Popp after he reportedly sensed demons and witchcraft in his mother's house, and said he believed unknown people were plotting to murder him.

Popp was taken to Milwaukee County's mental health complex on an emergency detention order and the weapons were seized by Greenfield police.

He later petitioned a court to have the weapons returned to him, arguing that he met all the criteria for lawful ownership.

Greenfield City Attorney Roger C. Pyzyk eventually wrote that the matter had been "resolved" with Popp's attorney and there was "no need to continue this matter."

The Bushmaster assault rifle and a 9mm handgun were released to Popp's brother in August 2008.

Investigators have said a rifle and a handgun were found at the scene of the March 6, 2016, killings, but have never said whether those were the same guns confiscated from Popp in 2008.

Popp's sister told the victims' families, including several dozen of the Vues' relatives who packed the courtroom gallery, that she and her family have mourned for them.

But she also asked that Conen consider confining her brother to a mental health facility.

Conen, however, said he was bound by the jury's verdict and had to impose the mandatory prison sentence.

"I know in the deepest depths of my soul that my brother never meant for this to happen," Dawn Johnson said, claiming he called 911 to be taken to a hospital the day before the shootings.

"I know my brother was not in the right frame of mind when he did this," she said before addressing him directly.

"I failed you," she said.

Assistant Milwaukee County District Attorney Paul Tiffin declined to make a closing statement, leaving it to the court's discretion to impose sentence.

Defense attorney Christopher Lee Hartley said Popp's actions the day of the killing were born out of his mental illness and not out of hate or racism. He described how his client believed his victims were "cybernetic organisms," whom he rescued their children from.

Popp "thought he'd be a hero," Hartley said.

"He did so by killing three people."

Hartley asked that Conen order that Popp's prison terms be served concurrently, with eligibility for supervised release after 20 years.

In the end, Conen said he could not know if Popp could be rehabilitated in prison and that his primary duty was to protect the public.

"It is what it is," Conen said.

Ironically, after imposing the three consecutive life sentences, along with a 10-year term and 10 years of extended supervision for the attempted murder charge, Conen read the stipulations of the sentence.